Tallinn’s best business achievements were announced

On October 3rd, at the Tallinn Entrepreneurship Awards gala in the Kalev Sport Hall yesterday, the awards were announced for achievements in the following categories: real estate development project promoting business or tourism; inter-business cooperation project: startup; tourism achievement; job creator; responsible business; and the introduction of an environmentally friendly eco-innovation to the market.

According to Kairi Vaher, the head of the Tallinn City Enterprise Department, the greatest impact of the activities carried out by the winners this year has been on the development of the Tallinn business environment and tourism and have stood out for their economic value and innovative spirit. Recognition was conferred on very disparate organisations. The nominees included startups, family companies and large global enterprises, as well as sectoral support organisations. ‘All initiatives that create wellbeing and jobs are equally important for Tallinn. The more diverse the local business scene, the greater the probability that exciting new projects or business models with international reach will develop.’

This year’s winners of the Tallinn Entrepreneurship Awardsare:

Best Development Project of 2018: the history discovery centre at the Estonian History Museum; developed by Estonian History Museum

This is a large-scale project, in the course of which the old was reconstructed and new buildings suitable for the new context were built. The palace park, along with a unique playground inspired by Estonian history, were renovated. The cost of construction was almost €10 million.

The Estonian Woodhouse Association started an initiative that seeks to increase the international competitiveness and export of companies and help to create a positive image for Estonian wooden house manufacturers and assist them in entering export markets. The successful activities of the Estonian House Cluster have resulted in the create of numerous new companies (the number grew from 120 in 2008 to 245 in 2017) and the export of products with high added value has increased.

Brightest Startup of 2018: Software developer CatapultLabsOÜ

The company develops software and help to assemble complex IT systems. In addition, it provides consultations in the field of cybersecurity in Europe and elsewhere. One of Catapult Labs’ advantages and special qualities is the team’s experience in the energy sector, which is quite unusual among IT entrepreneurs. The company has high added value per worker and its exports comprise a large percentage of its turnover.

Best Tourism Accomplishment of 2018: UEFA Super Cup match in Tallinn, organised by the Estonian Football Federation

On 15 August 2018, one of the most important matches in club football – the UEFA Super Cup – took place in Tallinn. The event brought almost 10,000 foreign visitors to Tallinn, including almost 500 foreign reporters. It is estimated that the foreign visitors spent €5 million in Estonia. In addition to the tourism income, the TV broadcast and the players’ social media posts provided destination marketing.

Best Job Creator of the Year of 2018: the Estonian branch of TransferWiseLtd, the financial technology company

The addition of new jobs and expansion of activities at TransferWise resulted from the company’s great success, which in turn shows that there is a great demand for their service among people who work, study or travel abroad. TransferWise has more than two million clients and the company provides transfers service in almost 750 different currencies. During the year, almost 120 jobs with high added value have been created in Tallinn.

Most Responsible Company of 2018: EestiPandipakendOÜ, the deposit-packaging collection and recycling company

Pandipakend is the recycling organisation that deals with the collection of deposit packaging and its mission is to provide environmentally friendly, transparent and quality service for all its partners. During the last few years, Pandipakend, in cooperation with Estonia’s renowned musicians, has organised a recycling campaign called #ärarääma, which is directed toward young people and calls upon the target group to contribute to nature conservation, by demonstrating that recycling is trendy.

Eco-Innovation of 2018: MulieresOÜ, the manufacturer of natural cleaning products

The company has created a revolution in the field of home cleaning products. Mulieres’s products are based on natural tensides the most popular of which is green soap, and therefore the products are biodegradable. This is helping to preserve the health of the Baltic Sea and the people, by ensuring that waste such as packaging and washing water does not harm the environment. Therefore, eco-packaging is used that is produced from paper industry waste.

In addition to the seven main categories, prizes were also awarded on Entrepreneurship Day to the best applied research projects selected in cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University, Tallinn University of Technology, and Estonian schools of applied higher education.

The special applied research awards went to:

Best research project at the Tallinn University of Technology: Ragnarok Workwear 2.0 smart work clothes; supervisor of the research project, Prof Ivo Fridolin

Best research project at Tallinn University: startup company Hoopy for the creation of an educational-technological concept; author of the research project, Kristi Vinter-Nemvalts

Best research project at Eesti Estonian Academy of Arts: VÄLK, an autonomous charging assistant; authors of the research project, Arnav Khan, Arno Peever and Sofia Vega Anza

Best research project at the Estonian schools of applied higher education: instructional material for waste management in healthcare institutions; author of the research project Grethe-Johanna Ploompuu (TTK University of Applied Sciences)

The business competition is part of the Tallinn Entrepreneurship Day that takes place every autumn, and which was held on October 2nd of this year. The goal of Entrepreneurship Day is to value and recognise entrepreneurship, to encourage the realisation of good and audacious ideas and, in addition to sharing new knowledge, to provide an opportunity for broader networking. This year was the 15th time that the Tallinn Enterprise Department has organised Entrepreneurship Day and this year’s theme was ‘Entrepreneurship 100’. Participation in Entrepreneurship Day is free.